Hi, this is my first post here. I am not a home inspector but a handy man that has been working on a family members house. The house was inspected around a month ago by a private inspector that was hired by the buyers. This house look’s “nice” but is far from it. I don’t believe its going to pass the VA inspection. The serious stuff like exposed and dangerous wiring has been fixed but the foundation is of concern. The family member that owns the house is cheap and doesn’t want to fix this. The concrete is not structural, its like the rest of the house and just a cosmetic cover. The house is supported by the original stone foundation seen behind the concrete. My question is would you guys pass this? If I were an inspector I sure wouldn’t. The inspection keeps getting put off and is scheduled for next week.
Not enough information. And VA inspectors appraisals are far different from what we do.
I have more pictures of the house but cannot post them as a new member. The section of the house pictured is part of the original structure built in 1850. Two story, full basement, ballon framed, aprox 1200sq ft. Located in upstate NY. Stone foundation was parged over with 3-4 inches of concrete. No rebar or mesh just concrete and just a few inches below grade. This was done to make the house appear to have a full concrete foundation pored around the stone foundation. This was a popular practice in this area back in the 50-60’s to waterproof and stabilize old houses. It works great when done properly but this is not the case here. The orginal inspector may have missed it due to a thick growth of tiger lillys. My question is how would this be flagged by an inspector. I know everyone’s opinion will be different but if you were inspecting this house how would you write it up?
So was it for appearance or water proofing?
The problem exists where there is consequence on a 100+ year old home. What has the failed parge coating caused?
Trying to get in the head of a VA appraiser is pretty much impossible. They are all different and seem to have their own issues they like to harp on. I know chipping/peeling paint and safety issues are big ones. Vegetation growing against the house, moss on the roof, any rotted wood and obviously worn roofs are other things I’ve heard brought up often. If the only goal is just get out of there I’d take care of the low-hanging fruit from my list and see what happens.
As for the foundation, an inspector is just going to write it up as failing materials and recommend further evaluation. You might consider removing or re-attaching any loose materials just so it doesn’t look terrible.
If that’s a stone foundation from 1850 it is probably at least a foot and a half wide. That parging coat is just for show, does no waterproofing if it’s only from the grade up. Your third picture indicates it wasn’t visible in places. Report should indicate that the exterior foundation was obscured by vegetation, not visible and the parging was broken and missing in places (non-structural)
We don’t pass or fail an inspection.
We report what we observed on items that need to be repaired or maintained and are a safety issue. Sometimes that is things that weren’t constructed properly.
Why are you worried about your family members business? Do you have a financial stake in this property?